Idiosyncrasy
by Crime Scene Fairy
Summary: Two months after New York, as they figure out their relationship and place in a new world, Mack and Steve find themselves in the middle of a conspiracy that threatens all they hold dear. Steve/OC, Sequel to Bohemia. Chapter 2: More than Blood - "My nephew is a Captain America fan. This is beyond ironic."
1. Down the Road

**Author's Note:** So, if you're new to my stories, the first note here is that this is in fact the sequel to my other Steve/OC story, _Bohemia_. There are a lot of references to events that took place in _Bohemia_, so I do recommend that you go through that story first so that you can understand everything that's happening here. :)

If you came over here from _Bohemia_, welcome! _Idiosyncrasy_ starts up about two months after _Bohemia_ ended, and starts at the tail end of Steve and Mack's road trip. I have a plan to release a one-shot about that road trip sooner or later, but certain events that happened during that road trip are going to be explored throughout this story. There's going to be a lot happening in this story, though I'm honestly not sure about the length yet. It might end up being around the same length as _Bohemia_, if everything works out.

And also, since it is mentioned in this chapter in particular, Steve does have his haircut from Winter Soldier as of _Idiosyncrasy_, if only because it is my absolute favorite of his hair. His hair gets better every movie, I swear.

And one last shout-out – we can thank HeartNimbus for the gorgeous cover image, for both _Idiosyncrasy_ and for _Potential_! Thank you so much, my darling, and I hope that you enjoyed the first chapter for both stories!

I don't own anything related to the Marvel Cinematic Universe or its character. I only own my original characters and plotlines, which this story will have a lot of. There's going to be a lot of appearances of Captain America characters though, but I think you'll be surprised about who turns up in this chapter alone. Thanks again for reading and joining me on the next chapter of this series, and please leave a review on the way out!

* * *

**Idiosyncrasy  
**Two months after New York, as they figure out their relationship and place in a new world, Mack and Steve find themselves in the middle of a conspiracy that threatens all they hold dear.

* * *

**Chapter 1** – _Down the Road_

* * *

**July 1, 2011**

Mack Donahue had never felt quite comfortable at the SHIELD operations academy.

She had never been a student there. From the moment that Clint Barton had dragged her into SHIELD and a life that she was not prepared for at the least, Mack had been an abnormality in what was admittedly an organization of abnormalities that dealt with abnormalities. Repetitive, but it made sense to her.

Going to the operations academy with the one of the most motley crews that even she had ever dealt with, however, was something that she had never expected. Then again, what they were doing was also on the list of what Mack had never expected before.

"Alright, three, two, one… go!" Mack ordered, grinning as she glanced up in front of her.

The blond super soldier in front of her rammed into a waiting bulldozer, grunting sharply as he pushed it forward. The dirt spat up as the bulldozer was moved forward, surprisingly fast as Steve Rogers pushed it. Though it wasn't always completely noticeable, Steve's super strength was absolutely incredible, especially when it was put on display like this.

Mack started the stopwatch in her hand the instant that he moved, raising an eyebrow as Steve moved it forward surprisingly fast, using every bit of super strength that he had in him. The ending point was a few dozen yards away, and Mack waited at that finish line with three other men, all of whom looked incredibly interested in this.

"Whose bright idea was this?" Gabe Jones asked, looking back down at the stopwatch before turning back to the super soldier and the bulldozer.

"Who cares? This is amazing!" argued a young man around Mack's age with a striking resemblance to Gabe, especially in the cheekbones and eyes. It would have been cleared to any stranger that they were related.

"Got to agree with your grandson, Gabe," Dum-Dum Dugan admitted, raising an eyebrow over at his old war buddy before turning his attention back to the war buddy currently pushing a bulldozer across a training field. The remark drew a grin out of Antoine Triplett, Gabe's grandson. "Besides, who hasn't wondered about who would win in a fight between Steve and a bulldozer?"

"I've wondered about Steve versus a T-Rex, but never a bulldozer," Mack admitted, laughing for a few moments before turning her attention back up to Steve.

With a final yell of exertion, Steve pushed the bulldozer far past the finishing line, his breathing actually heavy as he stopped. His hands rested on his thighs as he bent slightly, breathing heavily as he mopped the sweat off his forehead. This test had actually pushed him, and every person there knew how much Steve would appreciate that challenge. Mack had ended the timing on the stopwatch the second that he had crossed the finishing line.

"Time?" Dugan asked eagerly, leaning over to pull the stopwatch out of Mack's hand. His eyes widened before he looked at Steve, laughing. "Son of a bitch…"

"What?" Jones demanded, pulling the stopwatch over himself. He raised an eyebrow, shooting an amazed look at the panting Steve. "Jesus, Captain."

Mack was near hysterical, her arms around her middle as she laughed. "No one's going to beat that time, even with super strength" she said, grinning as she winked at the approaching super soldier. She tossed the stopwatch at Steve, who caught it without looking. "You just set an unbeatable record there, babe."

The super soldier frowned as he looked at the time, his gaze flying back to the bulldozer. "I can beat that time," he said, scowling as Dugan handed him a water bottle, thanking him quickly before taking a sip of it. "I can put it back, wait a few minutes, and then try it again-"

"No, not happening," Mack warned, swatting his arm and rolling her eyes. "We're on vacation, Steve. Enjoy being on vacation before you have to go meet my family."

"Enjoy being on vacation while I'm back at Culver teaching summer courses," Jones added, patting Steve's arm as the group of five made their way back over to the SHIELD base. "You're both still going to come and visit in September, right?"

"Are you kidding? Of course," Mack replied, smirking. "I want to see Culver. I need to go annoy the people in the psychology department. I especially need to go annoy Samson if he's still there."

She also needed to go take covertly check up on Betty Ross, though she didn't plan on mentioning that part to Steve until after the fact. Mack hadn't had contact with Bruce for nearly a month, though it wasn't too surprising. Despite having SHIELD watching his back a bit, Bruce had unsurprisingly decided to keep to himself, though Mack knew that Bruce and Tony were in constant contact.

The Avengers themselves had been disassembled for the time, but they were still in contact, still ready, just in case. The months since New York hadn't been the easiest. Clint and Natasha were back in New York at least, now living in the apartment that had been Mack's. While Clint's mental state was still a bit debatable, he was a thousand times better than he had been months before.

"And I want to see you teaching kids, Gabe. It has to be interesting," Steve added, putting an arm around Mack's waist. She rolled her eyes slightly, but smirked at the contact.

"You'll be able to visit more often, at least," Gabe pointed out, nodding. "Somehow the fact that you're moving to DC doesn't surprise me that much."

Mack shrugged. It didn't surprise her too much either, honestly. "SHIELD transferred me to the Triskelion after New York. We didn't exactly get a choice in the matter."

Mack had warmed up to the transfer over the past two months, as had Steve in some ways. The move down to DC was going to give them both a fresh start –with Steve now officially signed on as a consultant with SHIELD and Mack not quite back as a full-time agent, DC would give them a new start professionally and personally, despite the fact that they were surprisingly stable as a couple for the moment. They were honestly taking every day as it came, hoping that they were going to be able to handle everything that was thrown at them.

Trip turned over to Dugan as they made their way into one of the gyms of the operations academy, a questioning look on his face. "How's Tori doing?" Trip asked, glancing over at Dugan.

"Exhausted and getting bigger by the day," Dugan replied, wincing slightly at the thought of his very hormonal, increasingly pregnant granddaughter. "Sam quit SHIELD. His heart was never in it though, after what happened in Pararescue… he joined for Tori. They're both in Boston until the baby's born, continuing the Dugan family tradition that you're either born in Boston or suffer ridicule as a Dugan."

"The baby's also a Wilson," Steve pointed out. He hadn't met Sam yet, though he knew that it would probably happen sooner or later, especially considering the fact that they were planning on heading up to Boston for the birth to be there for Tori.

"The terrifying combination of Tori and Sam's genes that his father and I have discussed many times over," Dugan corrected, shuddering slightly at the thought.

Mack couldn't help but agree with that, especially considering the fact that she had seen Tori at her most angry before. She glanced over at the boxing ring as she raised an eyebrow, seeing the fact that the gym was completely empty at the moment. She thought for a few moments before glancing over at Trip, since she knew Steve wasn't in the shape for a spar at the moment.

Trip seemed to be thinking the same exact thing. "You're on, Donahue," he said, a challenge clear in his eyes as he pulled off his jacket, hurrying into the ring without another word.

"You're going down, Triplett," Mack laughed, sliding into the ring a few moments later.

Gabe raised an eyebrow, leaning in towards Steve. "So, does my grandson stand a chance in hell against her?" he asked in a low voice, laughing as he watched the two circling each other, Mack pulling her dark hair into a tight ponytail. Both were clear professionals, and this promised to be a serious fight.

"Not at all," Steve confirmed, grinning at his old friend before patting him on the back.

He turned his blue-eyed gaze back to the two, smiling slightly as he watched Mack lunge at Trip, launching herself off the ground and into a strong kick, landing on both feet as Trip stumbled back. Mack's style was unpredictable at best. Steve had learned that through various sparring sessions, though ti was even clearer now.

The specialist dove back at her instantly, managing to grab onto her from behind. Mack flipped, grabbing onto his shirt and pulling herself up, her legs going around his neck as she brought him down again, pinning him to the ground. Trip tried to get out of the leg, groaning as he finally slammed his hand down on the mat.

"I give!" he groaned, glaring up at Mack. The brunette smirked happily, pulling her legs off of him as she got to her feet, shooting a victorious grin over at the remaining Howling Commandos.

"My grandson," Gabe pointed out dryly, far too amused at the situation.

Steve's grin was only proud and loving. "My girl."

* * *

It was just before they were going to head back out on the road when Mack grabbed Steve's arm, pulling him through the deserted halls of the base. A couple of the cadets had stolen Arizona for a while earlier, and they still needed to pick him up. The opportunity to play with a fluffy animal was too much even for potential SHIELD agents, apparently. Mack had taken advantage of that to take Steve away for a bit, claiming that there was something that he needed to see.

"Where are we going?" Steve demanded. He hadn't put up a fight when Mack had pulled him out of the room where they had been observing a training session, instead just looking around the SHIELD facility.

It was fascinating to find out that this organization had grown from an idea that Peggy, Phillips, and Howard had come up with together. He had learned a lot more about the history of SHIELD since after the Battle of New York, and Mack had been able to fill in some of the gaps. He knew that if it weren't for Peggy helping to found it and Mack being a part of it, Steve wouldn't be anywhere near SHIELD.

"It's a surprise, but I know you're going to like it," Mack promised, raising an eyebrow as she stopped them in what appeared to be something of an atrium. There was a display in front of them, the SHIELD symbol engraved above it in black marble.

"The Wall of Valor?" Steve repeated, frowning as he stepped forward, taking a better look at it. There were names written on it, dates up above.

"A memorial to the agents lost in the line of duty. It goes back to the very beginning of SHIELD," Mack explained, standing a bit away from him, looking at one of the most recent additions to the wall. Her name traced Phil Coulson's name gently as she glanced over at Steve. "Look at the earlier ones."

Steve nodded, heading over and looking down at it, starting from the absolute beginning. A name or two were familiar at first, until he found one that was more than familiar. Steve froze at the name for a few seconds, not sure if he had misread it. He read it over a few more times, trying to find the words he needed to speak.

Mack waited patiently, her finger still resting on Phil Coulson's name. She understood loss, and she understood the loss of one of the most important people in your life. She knew that Steve was going to need a few minutes to adjust to what he had just seen. Steve looked over at her, blue eyes wide with surprise.

"Bucky," he said simply, shooting an amazed look at Mack.

Mack stood up and straightened, sighing as she leaned against Steve's arm, squeezing his hand. "From what I've been told, Peggy had his name added as soon as SHIELD was founded," she explained, nodding at a blank spot above. "Your name was there until you were found in the ice."

Steve crossed his arms against his chest, staring down at his best friend's name for a few moments. "He would have liked this," he murmured, looking at his feet for a few seconds. "Complained about it nonstop, but he would have liked it a lot."

She managed a weak chuckle, knowing how hard it was for him to talk about Bucky, even now. Mack nodded slowly, looking back at him. "I wished I could have met him," she said, glancing back up at him.

Steve bit his lip, looking down at her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "The next time we're in New York, I'll take you to his grave," he murmured, looking back over at her a moment later.

She raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You're sure?"

"Very sure," Steve promised, kissing the top of her head gently, managing a soft smile. "My best friend needs to meet my girl somehow, right?" He knelt over, kissing the top of his head, his lips lingering at her hair for a few moments. "Until then, we have something important tomorrow."

Mack scowled instantly. "Fuck."

* * *

**July 2, 2011**

"You don't have to do this."

"Yes, I do."

"You really don't."

"It's okay, I want to."

"Seriously, babe, we can turn around right now, spend your birthday on Coney Island…" Mack played lightly with the silver charm bracelet around her wrist almost unconsciously. She stared out the window, half exhausted and half exasperated. "It'll be better."

Steve laughed again, shaking his head as he looked over at his girl in the passenger's seat. "I want to do this, doll."

As she leaned her forehead against the glass window of the jeep, Mack didn't bother glancing back over at her boyfriend in the driver's seat. "You really shouldn't," she replied quietly, pulling her long dark hair back into a ponytail.

Steve chuckled, shaking his head as he glanced over at her, keeping an eye for the exit that they needed to get on. "It's meeting your family, Kenzie, not a suicide operation," he pointed out.

"It's basically the same thing," Mack protested, scowling as she looked back over at him.

"With what we've gone through, meeting your family is one of the things I'm least worried about," he admitted, raising an eyebrow back at her as he kept driving. He had gotten used to driving Mack's jeep, though he did adore his motorcycle, currently attached to the back of the jeep.

"Oh, you naïve boy," Mack laughed, laughing sarcastically, taking a drink from the water bottle between them.

Steve's hand left the wheel to squeeze her knee gently, knowing that she was beyond nervous about this opportunity. "Tell me again who we're meeting."

She gave a deep sigh of exhaustion, closing her eyes for a few seconds. "My mom, my stepdad, my stepbrother and stepsister, and their families," Mack listed, looking over at Steve and raising an eyebrow. "My stepsister is pregnant with her second daughter, and my stepbrother has three boys. The boys are Neil, Craig, and Alec, six, four, and two, and the girl is Dahlia, who's three."

"Bridget's husband won't be there because of work, and Sean is amicably divorced from his ex-wife Laurel," Steve said, remembering the little tidbits that Mack had mentioned over time. "And you still keep in contact with Laurel."

"And where are they from?" Mack asked, playing serious as she smirked up over at him.

"Bridget lives in Pittsburgh with her family, and Sean lives in Philadelphia. Laurel and the boys live in New Jersey," Steve replied obediently, knowing that he had all of the information down pat. He had heard Mack talking about it enough of the last few weeks. "And your mom and stepdad Kevin live in Wrigley."

"Population no one cares and dropping," Mack muttered, shaking her head as she set the water bottle back into the cup holder between the seats. "You nervous at all about meeting my family?"

"Not at all," Steve replied. He was a horrible liar though, and he knew that Mack would see it instantly.

Steve didn't think that it was too unbelievable that he was nervous about meeting Mack's family, no matter the fact that he was Captain America and had met Mack's mentors, who were the two best assassins in the entire world.

Honestly though, what man wouldn't be worried about meeting the family of the girl he loved?

"You know, lying to a spy is one thing. Lying to a spy when you're so bad at lying in the first place is something else." Mack bit her lip, looking back over at Steve. "Do you think your mom and Bucky would have liked me?" she finally asked, half hating bringing up the question.

It was something she had wondered numerous times though.

"I know it," Steve replied instantly, shooting her a dead serious look. Mack looked over at him, biting her lip. "Ma would have absolutely loved you. Mack, my mother was… she was amazing. Strong and smart and sweet. She was beyond amazing."

"She raised you, of course she was," Mack pointed out. Her hand went to his knee, squeezing it tightly before offering her hand in the back for Arizona to lick.

She played with the silver charm bracelet on her wrist carefully, looking down at the seven newest charms on it – a bolt of lightning, an hourglass, an arrow, a tiny fist, a helmet, a star on a shield, and a knife. A charm for each of the Avengers. That was the family they shared, and Mack knew that nothing would chance that.

Steve hesitated. For a few moments, it looked like he wanted to say something to her, but changed his line of thought at the last minute. "You and Bucky would have either loved or killed each other," he admitted bluntly, laughing to himself. "You'd probably complain about sharing me."

"My Steve," Mack teased gently, laughing as she shook her head, glancing out the window for a few moments. The jeep was silent for nearly twenty minutes, and when Steve next glanced at her, she had that look on her face, the look that screamed that she was thinking about something.

"I know that look. What's on your mind?" the super soldier asked, raising an eyebrow over at the assassin.

"Nothing," Mack answered, immediately dismissing the question.

"Mack." Steve's voice was gentle, a lure to try and get her to open up. Even after a few months of a relationship, Steve still found that pulling teeth could be easier than getting Mack to talk.

To his surprise and satisfaction, she only gave a hesitant sigh. "It's weird. Everything's just really weird lately."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. Everything is changing," she admitted, closing her eyes as she leaned her head back against the seat, her hand reaching into the back to pet Arizona. "We're moving to DC in August. We had an alien invasion two months ago. The Avengers are pop culture icons. Everything is freaking weird." She shot him a mock glare. "And then you got your hair cut last month."

"I thought you liked it," Steve protested, shooting her a look. Mack had been joking that his hair was a lot more modern than it had been before the Battle of New York, and Steve personally liked his new haircut. His adjustment to the present had been smooth as of late, though he knew that there would be more bumps in the road sooner or later.

"I love it," Mack replied, rolling her eyes as she swatted his arm, putting her feet up on the dashboard as she looked back outside. "But still. It's just weird to see how everything is changing." She paused before wincing. "And here I am acting like a complete idiot because I'm talking to _you_ about change."

"If anything, I understand what you mean," Steve pointed out, though he was relieved that she had realized what she had been talking about to him. He understood better than anything watching everything change around you. "What was it you called it? A brave new world?"

"Something like that," Mack hummed, sighing and closing her eyes before glancing out at the highway. "I'm so not ready to deal with my mom."

"She seemed nice whenever I talked to her on the phone."

"That's how she lures you in. With niceness and baked goods and all of that." Mack nodded sagely, shaking her head as she pulled out her phone. "Pull over on the next exit, we can find a motel to stay in tonight."

"Kenzie," Steve said, shooting her a warning look. "You know we have to see her soon."

"We can see her tomorrow!" Mack protested, shooting him a mock glare as she ran a hand through her hair. "Please, Steve, let me mentally prepare for my mother."

Steve shook his head, wondering just why she was so nervous about him meeting her family. He did take the next exit, keeping his eyes peeled for a motel. "I still say you're overreacting."

The brunette didn't answer him, and instead focused on getting a hold of her mother, finding success after a few rings. "Mom, it's me," Mack said, shooting a warn glare at Steve to be quiet for now. "I've got bad news. Traffic was really bad getting into Pennsylvania, and we're exhausted. We're gonna stop in a motel for a night, and we'll be there tomorrow morning."

He knew that this was something that they both had to go through. With how quickly they were getting serious, meeting Mack's family was inevitable for Steve. He just wanted to make sure that this went as easily as possible for both of them.

Arizona, meanwhile, would probably be lapping up attention from the children.

Steve rolled his eyes. "You really don't want this to happen, do you?" he asked, glancing over at her, unable to keep the concern off of his face. Steve turned off the jeep after parking it in a space in a motel parking lot, a place that looked slightly better than some of the places that they had stayed in over the last two months.

Mack hesitated before glancing back up at him, biting her lip. "I've worked incredibly hard at keeping my personal and professional lives as separate as possible," she admitted, shaking her head. She frowned. "Hell, I don't have a personal life, I just have friends from SHIELD. I met you because of work."

"You met me because a Russian oil team stumbled across the Valkyrie by mistake," Steve corrected, raising an eyebrow over at her as he got out of the car, heading to the trunk to pick up one of his bags. Arizona jumped out the back, nuzzling Steve's leg with a happy whine.

"And that up and away was the best mistake ever," Mack replied, smirking over at him. She walked over, kissing him quickly for a few seconds before shaking her head. "I'll get the room. We can just relax and I can mentally prepare for you meeting my mom."

Steve smiled softly as he knelt down, petting Arizona gently as he watched Mack walk towards the motel office. "It's not going to be that bad!" he called, glancing back at Arizona as

"You'll see," Mack retorted, pausing to walk backwards and glare at him.

Steve looked down at Arizona, laughing as the dog licked his face. "Yeah, bud, I agree," he said, glancing back at the office. "Kenzie can be a little crazy sometimes."

He loved her anyway.

* * *

**Author's Note:** As you can see from this, these two are absolutely more comfortable with each other now, and will be getting a lot more comfortable with each other as _Idiosyncrasy_ goes on. I'm planning on introducing a lot of characters in this story, and a lot of plot threads, so I think you guys will enjoy where I'm planning on taking this story.

Thanks again for reading, and please leave a review on the way out! Next chapter will be a lot of fun, with the introduction of Mack's family, and Steve meeting said family. After that, we'll be going into a lot of other plot plans. There will be a lot of angst, especially in the beginning of the next chapter, a lot of drama, and of course, a lot of sarcastic banter.

It wouldn't be the Shiv series without sarcastic banter, after all!

I hope everyone enjoyed the beginning of this story! Since it is the summer, I'll hopefully be able to write as much as possible when I have the chance, though I am working full time as a summer camp counselor. I will try and update at least once a week when I can, though don't hate me if I don't update super quickly.

Thanks again for reading, and please leave a review on the way out! I want to see what you guys think of this chapters, of Gabe and Dugan and Trip appearing, of the inevitable introduction of Mack's family. I'll see you all next chapter, which is going to open with a bit of a bang.

**Chapter 2 – More than Blood  
**"My nephew is a Captain America fan. This is beyond ironic."


	2. More than Blood

**Author's Note:** I LIVE. SURPRISE!

I am so sorry that it took so long to get this chapter up! My summer has been absolutely insane so far, and I honestly have no excuse as to why it took so long to get this up. I've been working full time, dealing with writing my _The Avenger Initiative_ series, and setting up a Sharon Carter RP blog on Tumblr most recently, which meant that everything is completely insane on my end.

Plus, I have had no inspiration to write this story, to be completely honest. My Mack muse has completely drained out up until now, so I've been working incredibly hard to try and get everything back together on this end. There is no way that I want this story to end, not when we're getting into a lot of fun plotlines, and especially not when we're getting closer and closer to _Winter Soldier_.

But updates will be slow. I'm about to go back to college soon, and things will be insane for the first week or so, especially as I'm getting back into the swing of things. But it's easier to write at college than at home, which will hopefully meant that I'll be getting back into a normal updating schedule sooner rather than later.

As always, I don't own anything related to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, just my own original plotlines and characters, especially Mack Donahue. Thank you all so much for the support and the summer long hiatus, and thanks so much for the understanding, you guys are completely amazing. Please leave a review on the way out, I'd love to hear what you guys are thinking of this story right now!

* * *

**Idiosyncrasy  
**Two months after New York, as they figure out their relationship and place in a new world, Mack and Steve find themselves in the middle of a conspiracy that threatens all they hold dear.

* * *

**Chapter 2** – _More than Blood_

* * *

**July 3, 2011**

_The ice was rising._

_He woke slowly after the crash, the cold reaching through every bit of his body, chilling him to the bone as he gasped, the air nearly stabbing his lungs. Even with the serum enhancing his body, his body was so god damned cold, and he was scared._

_For the first time in a long while, Steve Rogers was scared._

_Awareness hit him a few moments later as he shivered further, trying to move. Pain shot through his body, and his soldier's mind went to the possible injuries he might have. The pain that came when he breathed hinted at rib damage. The pain in his hips was nearly overwhelming, and he felt like his head was spinning._

_Then again, what did he expected? He crashed the Valkyrie into the ice. Schmidt was dead. Soon enough, Steve would be as well. His life had been the price he had to pay to stop Schmidt, to save New York. He was more than willing to pay it._

_It hadn't been his life that had been sacrificed. Bucky's life had been another price, and that was one he wished over and over again that hadn't been paid. Bucky had died. His best friend had died, and Steve still couldn't believe it, even as he lay, slowly freezing to death in the Valkyrie, his mind slipping away more and more each second._

_He knew that crashing the Valkyrie had meant his own death sentence. He didn't care. Not when that meant that New York, that thousands of innocent people, were safe and okay. He hadn't failed in that duty at least, no matter how many times he had failed before._

_He was going to die._

_He didn't deserve more than this. Bucky had died cold and alone at the bottom of the mountains, if he hadn't died the moment he hit the ground. _

_Bucky had deserved so much better. Bucky had deserved a million things, a life of his own, a family of his own. He had deserved so much god damned better than he had gotten._

_Steve deserved this fate._

"Steve?"

_There was a voice, echoing in his head over and over again. Peggy's voice. He didn't deserve much in terms of his death, but he was glad that he hadn't been alone for part of it. Peggy's words echoed again in his head. She stayed with him the entire time he'd been crashing the Valkyrie, and he couldn't begin to describe how grateful he was for that. _

_He would be missing their date. That was one of his major regrets. At least he had managed to kiss her once before dying. She would have a good life. That was what he hoped at least._

_A small part of him thought that this wasn't Peggy's voice. There was no trace of Peggy's accent, but there was just as much caring and concern. There was also fear, a fear that he couldn't completely understand. It was a fear for him, a fear for his own wellbeing. Even his muddled mind was able to pin it as the voice of someone who cared about him._

_He was going to die. There wasn't any need for someone to fear for him. No need for anyone to care about his fate. Nothing could stop it._

"Steve, babe, wake up, you're gotta wake up, please…"

_A whimper of fear escaped him before he could stop it. He was going to die in the ice._

_Panic overwhelmed him for a few moments as he gave a startled gasp. The cold was too much for him now, overwhelming every bit of calm and acceptance of his death. He was going to die. He was going to die and leave everything behind, and he didn't want to die. Not when there was so much he wanted to do._

_His own wants didn't matter anymore. He had made his choice. It was time to pay the price of it._

"Steve!"

_As Steve Rogers' eyes closed for the last time for sixty six years, his last thought was that at the very least, he had done his duty._

"Steve!"

Steve's blue eyes snapped open at the sound of the familiar voice, gasping and shivering hard as he blinked. He sat up sharply, his entire body shaking. Blue eyes moved rapidly, staring around frantically as he fell out of what he realized was a bed. It took a few moments for him to remember to breathe, every inhale and exhale coming out as a ragged gasp.

A ragged gasp slipped out of him as he shook, desperate to find his surroundings. Where was he? Where the hell was he? The air around him wasn't cold. He couldn't hear the howl of the Arctic winds around him, and perhaps the biggest change of all was that he wasn't alone in this room.

A soft whine sounded from the corner of the room, where Arizona was lying down under the one bed, big brown eyes wide clear with obvious fear. It was the sight of Arizona that started to anchor him. The brunette that moved in front of him, with pretty hazel-green eyes and clear concern radiating from her body, was the other thing that slapped his mind into awareness, that let him realize that no, he was no in the ice.

Everything came back to him within a few moments.

Steve wasn't in the ice anymore. He had been dug out months ago, had been dropped into a future that he wasn't ready for. He was currently in Pennsylvania, in a cheap motel room, staying overnight before he went to meet his girlfriend's family.

Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat, like he always did when these nightmares happened.

He was out of the ice. He had been out of the ice for months, and he was currently in a motel room with his girlfriend, about to meet her family. They had played Uno before they went to bed, and he beat her five games to three, and he had laughed when he saw the scowl on her face. She hated to lose.

The repetition helped to anchor him, and so he did it, over and over again. Mack didn't touch him yet. He needed her right now. He needed to know he wasn't alone.

Steve squeezed his eyes shut and buried his face in his hands, choking back a sob. "Kenzie…" he whispered, his voice more like a whimper.

"Hey," Mack coaxed, kneeling gently down in front of him as he sat against the wall. Steve's blue eyes met hers a moment later, locking on. He was desperate to find another anchor, desperate to find something that he could hold onto, something that could keep him in 2011 rather than 1945.

"Kenzie," he gasped again, his voice shaky. He tasted something salty, and dimly recognized the feeling of wetness at his eyes and on his cheeks as he glanced down at his shaking hands.

Almost out of instinct, Steve's gaze flew to the other side of the bed. His shield sat next to the wall, within easy access. Ever since the Battle of New York, Steve didn't sleep without the shield close at hand. Mack never slept less than a foot away from a knife and a gun. Some habits were hard to break, especially when one half of a couple was a spy and the other half a superhero.

Mack followed his gaze, swallowing as she gently grabbed his hand, squeezing it. "You're alright," she promised. "You're alright, Steve."

He could see the pain and worry in her eyes, clear as day. He hated himself for making her worry, for making her deal with him in this situation. She didn't say a word before wrapping her arms around him, holding him tightly as he buried his face in her shoulder, taking a deep breath of her lavender body lotion, the one she put on every night before she went to bed, a scent that he had become so accustomed to.

"I'm sorry," Steve gasped, his voice muffled further from his position against her. "I'm sorry, it was a stupid nightmare, I'm… I'm fine."

Even if his girlfriend wasn't a spy, even if she didn't know him better than anyone else in the modern world, it would have been obvious that Steve was lying through his teeth.

"Nothing to be sorry for," Mack refuted softly, shaking her head as she kissed his head, fingers threading through his blond hair. He was relieved she didn't press the issue, didn't ask him more about the nightmare. "You're alright, you're safe. You're alright, Steve."

For a few moments, Steve let himself believe her.

* * *

Mack stayed awake even after Steve fell back into a restless sleep.

She couldn't coax him back into the bed. Instead, Mack had moved to sit against the wall, Steve's head in her lap as she combed his hair with her fingers. Arizona hesitantly moved over to them, curling up on Steve's other side, one of the super soldier's large hands buried in his fur. He was asleep, but the occasional whimper made it clear that it wasn't much of a rest.

There hadn't been many nightmares on their cross country journey, perhaps because there wasn't enough time for Steve to have nightmares. They had managed to get all the way to California and back within a few months. The months had been a mass of spending time together, laughing and adjusting and trying to find their place in a new world.

This wasn't the world that Steve Rogers had woken up to. And it definitely wasn't the world he had crashed the Valkyrie to save.

Superheroes were a real thing now. The Avengers were pop culture icons, even if Tony was the only one with his identity revealed to the public. Speculation as to who the other six members abound. At the moment, no one had gotten close to their right identities, though some of the guesses had been completely hilarious. Tony and SHIELD were working to make sure that their identities were kept quiet.

To Mack, it was only a matter of when their identities would become public, not if.

It could prove dangerous for some of their identities to get out. It was easy for Bruce's identity to be pieced together, especially by the right people. No one had realized it yet, but it was only a matter of time. Steve would be fairly easy to figure out too, and people were getting closer, even if some didn't believe it was the same Captain America from World War II.

The discovery of her, Clint, and Natasha's roles in the Battle of New York could prove deadly for all three of them.

They were spies. Their jobs depended on having their covers secure. People knowing about them could turn into an absolute nightmare. Strike Team Delta had made so many enemies. So many people wanted their blood as a result of their actions on an operation. Even if Strike Team Delta had been dissolved in the aftermath of Coulson's death, they were still a force to be reckoned with.

Clint and Natasha were back in New York at least. They were planning on staying in New York for a day or two before continuing around wherever they could. They had to be in Boston in time for Tori to give birth, but they had more than enough time for that.

Mack's thoughts were jarred at the sound of a vibration nearby. She had brought her phone with her when Steve had gone to the floor. The small screen was lit with the alert of a text message. Mack frowned deeply as she picked it up, reading over the short message. Her mood plummeted further at the words, dread biting at her gut.

_We may need you soon. – PH_

PH. Pamela Hawley. It wasn't as bad a deal with the devil could get, but the question of what Hawley might want her to do had been weighing on her mind since after the Battle of New York. That was the price Mack had to pay if she wanted to keep Clint away from the World Security Council.

She hadn't told anyone. What was there to say? There was nothing any of them could do to help, and even if she and Steve had agreed to no more secrets, Mack was convinced that telling someone else about her arrangement with Hawley would only bring them more woe. She wouldn't risk that.

To protect Clint, she had to be at Hawley's beck and call. Hawley wanted her for something, and every possibility that she could think of was worse than the last. There was little Mack could do other than wait to find out what Hawley would want from her and hope that it wasn't going to be anything too horrible, too painful, too much of a cost.

_Someday, I may call you to action. And you may not like what I ask of you._

There wasn't another choice. There was no other choice, not when Clint was still on unsteady ground after the Battle of New York, after what Loki had done to him. Clint had protected her so many times, and Mack was more than ready to return the favor any way that she could.

As she typed a reply into her phone, Mack already hated whatever the Councilwoman expected of her.

_I'll be ready, ma'am. - MD_

* * *

They didn't talk about it the next morning.

Instead, Mack took over the driving for the rest of the trip, explaining that Wrigley was less than two hours away, and that it would make more sense if Steve unhooked his motorcycle to the back of the jeep and rode it behind her. They weren't silent; Mack and Steve joked like they always did, even as they split up slightly to travel to Wrigley on their own.

Steve knew there was a clear ulterior motive to the suggestion. Mack needed a bit of time to mentally prepare for seeing her family again for the first time since the Battle of New York. Steve needed a bit of solace to calm down completely from the nightmare that he had gone through last night.

It by far wasn't the first nightmare Steve suffered through since he woke up from the ice. There was usually some kind of trigger, a reason that the nightmare occurred. He could not think of one trigger from last night, one reason that he would have thought back to the ice, to the hours that it took for him to freeze over. It wasn't the first time he had that nightmare, but that didn't make it any easier.

It took only an hour or two to reach the house. Mack pulled into the driveway first, and Steve followed. Wrigley seemed like a typical small town. Mack had promised to take him on a tour later on; he was looking forward to it. This was where Mack had grown up, and he wanted to see her usual haunts, put places to memories she told him of growing up in Pennsylvania.

Steve pulled off his helmet as he parked the motorcycle, shaking out his hair as he took a good look at where they had parked. It was a typical suburban house, two stories tall with open windows. The distant smell of a grill hit him instantly, clearly coming from the backyard. The sound of laughter and chatting was also clear. He could almost see Mack growing up here, years ago.

Mack got out of the front seat of the jeep a few moments later. As nervous as she claimed to be about the meeting, the small smile that crossed Mack's face was something Steve had seen only when they were with Clint and Natasha.

It was the smile Mack had went she felt like she was home.

Steve glanced up as he saw a small form racing out from the direction of the backyard, heading straight to Mack. For a few moments, he froze, analyzing whether it was a threat that was coming or not. Relief pounded into his head a few moments later when he realized that it was in fact a small child running towards his girl.

He had to calm down. He could not freak out over everything.

Mack's laugh was bell-like as the little boy practically lunged at her. It was then that Steve got a good glimpse of what he was carrying: a small, plastic shield modeled after the shield he had hidden in the back of Mack's jeep. Steve managed to slip over to the jeep, letting Arizona out of the back a few moments later.

Setting Arizona loose was akin to letting loose a rocket; the dog bolted, tail wagging happily as he barked loudly. The dog had been cooped up for months, and had been an absolute saint on their cross country journey. Mack hadn't known if bringing Arizona was a good idea, but the memory of playing with Arizona on the beaches of California made everything worth it.

Arizona was part of their little family, and he didn't want to leave that behind.

Steve glanced up as a woman came to the front yard from the direction of the back. There was a striking resemblance to Mack, and it was obvious that this woman was her mother. The nerves that Steve denied for weeks came up as he watched Mack's mother approach them. Mack herself walked over to Steve, whispering conspiratorially to the little boy in her arms.

Mack shot him a soft smile, winking once as she glanced back at the little boy in her arms. "Mom, this is Steve Rogers. Steve, this is my mom, Grace," she explained as the woman approached them, arms crossed against her chest.

"A pleasure, ma'am," Steve greeted, a warm smile slipping on his face as he held out a hand, bottling any bit of nerves that he could feel. This was Mack's mother, the woman who had raised her. There was no way that she couldn't be incredible.

To Steve's surprise, Grace stepped forward and hugged him. It took a few moments to return the hug, the smile on his face softening slightly in surprise. "The pleasure is mine," Grace assured him, squeezing his arm before letting him go, taking the little boy from Mack a few seconds later.

"And the little guy right here is Neil," Mack added, grinning at her nephew. Neil couldn't have been more than six years old, with bright blue eyes and a shock of white blond hair. Neil looked at Steve before offering his hand, still in Grace's arms.

"Hey, Neil," Steve greeted, shaking the hand, impressed with the initiative of the little boy. He reigned his strength in, glancing over Neil again as he glanced at Mack, who nodded encouragingly at Steve. "It's great to meet you. Mack told me a lot about you."

"She's Auntie Kenzie, not Mack," Neil corrected instantly, scowling slightly at the use of his aunt's normal nickname. Steve caught Mack valiantly trying to hide a snort of laughter. Grace didn't bother, a soft laugh coming out of her.

"Auntie Kenzie has told me so much about you," Steve replied without missing a beat, chuckling as a beaming grin came over Neil's face. He was still holding onto the toy shield, and he realized where most of the humor in Mack's eyes was coming from.

Of course she found the fact that her nephew had a Captain America shield hilarious.

"Is else in the house?" Mack asked, glancing around the front yard. Arizona was running around, clearly absolutely thrilled at being given some open space. The dog was smart enough not to wander off, and Wrigley was clearly the type of small town that wouldn't care about dogs running around.

"Alec and Dahlia are both taking naps right now, but they're in Sean and Bridget's old rooms. Your old room is ready for you two. If you both want to come out after getting everything into the house, we have food ready," Grace explained, looking Steve over again, frowning slightly.

"Grandma and Grandpa here yet?" Mack asked, looking a bit excited.

Though Steve knew of the problems Mack occasionally had with Grace, he also knew that she was incredibly close to Grace's parents. Mack's grandparents had been the one to get her Arizona after all. To be completely honest, Steve was looking forward to meeting them.

"They'll be here tonight. I'll see you both out back in a few minutes." Grace carried Neil in the direction of the back yard a few moments later. Arizona bolted after them, tail wagging hard enough that Steve was wondering if he could hurt it. Mack rolled her eyes, watching them disappear.

"You had me worried for nothing," Steve protested, following the brunette agent to the back of the jeep. Considering what Grace had said about a possible storm tonight, getting everything into the house seemed like a good idea at the moment. A part of him was curious to take a look inside the house as well. He was eager to take a look at whatever he could right now.

"You've talked to her for five minutes. Trust me, she'll get worse," Mack warned, shooting him a death glare before glancing back over towards the backyard. "It's Mom and Bridget you need to be ready for. I don't always get along with Bridget."

"But you get along with your mom and stepdad?" Steve asked.

Mack chuckled, running a hand through her hair. "I adore Sean. We've always been really close. And Kevin's great. Never treated me any different than Sean or Bridget because I wasn't his biologically. Neil's his oldest kid, I'm closest with him."

Steve nodded softly, glancing back at the old white house. This was where Mack grew up. He had shown Mack some places in Brooklyn that had been his old haunts, before they had started on their cross country road trip. "We'll be fine."

"I know we will." Mack paused in setting another suitcase on the ground, smirking as she reached up and slipping her arms around his neck. "We're gonna be just fine."

Steve snorted in laughter. "I keep telling you that, you never believe me."

"Well, you're an optimist. We both know I'm a pessimist." Mack winked up playfully at him before pulling him down into a quick kiss.

Steve's eyes slipped shut automatically as his hands slipped to either side of her waist. The kiss didn't last more than a few seconds, but it was long enough for a warm glow to come across Steve's face. The kiss ended too soon for Steve's liking, Mack stepping back to end it, winking up at him almost teasingly. She really was something else.

"Did you see what Neil was carrying?" Mack asked, glancing back at Steve as she picked up the black bag that held his shield and her knives. A shit eating grin crossed Mack's face as she cackled.

"Hard not to notice," Steve pointed out, shooting her a deadpan look as he grabbed the other two bags. He reached up to close the back of the jeep up as well.

Mack couldn't stop grinning if her life depended on it. "My nephew is a Captain America fan. This is beyond ironic."

"You're enjoying this so much, aren't you?" Steve groaned, snaking an arm around her waist as he pressed a kiss to her neck.

"Maybe," Mack hummed innocently, smirking up at him as she moved away from him, heading away from him and making her way into the house.

Her laughter was all the confirmation that he needed for his question.

* * *

**Author's Note:** And so we've began the introduction to Mack's family! This is going to be a fun little story arc, because we get a lot more hints about Mack's mother's past, which is going to play a lot into this story, though I can warn you all now that the full story won't come out for another few stories. You'll be left to wallow and wonder what the hell is going on with her over time. :D

Also, to self-advertise a bit, I'll be posting _The Avengers Initiative_ soon enough, which will begin with a Steve centric story called _Not a Perfect Soldier_. This first story will be a lot shorter than the others, but it sets up everything that is going on with that series, and it takes place immediately after Steve's awakening in the modern world and lead up to Avengers. It'll be a really tough story to write, but I'm excited for it.

It will take place in another verse, so prepare for a lot of AU situations for it, because it is going to get very interesting at times. Hell, it starts out as AU from the very start, and the series will be Steve/Sharon the more we go on, because as much as I love Mack/Steve, I do adore Sharon/Steve.

Once again, I hope that everyone enjoyed this chapter, and I hope I'll be able to get a new chapter up sooner rather than later. I've got a lot of plans for this story, and I hope everyone's going to enjoy it! To spell out a few plans though, though Winter Soldier is coming sooner or later, it won't be for a bit later, though I'll go into more detail about that on another chapter. Thanks again, please leave a review on the way out!

**Chapter 3 – Follow the Leader  
**Steve knelt down next the little boy, smiling softly. "Nice shield. Probably even cooler than Captain America's."**  
**


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